1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to automotive protective covering devices, and more particularly pertains to a new and improved automotive covering device which is of a multi-layered construction of varying thicknesses and densities of material to provide impact protection for a car thereby enclosed. An alternative embodiment sets forth the use of zippered panels for replacement of portions of the car cover damaged by the aforenoted impact.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of car protective covers is well known in the prior art. As may be appreciated, these devices have in the past been of a relatively thin material whose primary function was to provide a modicum of protection to against primarily rain and dust conditions. The field of car top coverings has been expansive in the prior art and has included various relatively complex mechanisms for furling and unfurling of such devices about automobiles. There, however, has been lacking a car protective covering that is of a construction expressly intended for the purpose of protecting the car from high impact incidents and being of a pliable and flexible nature for storage thereof. An example of a prior art device is U.S. Pat. No. 3,021,894 to La Due which discloses a car top covering for enclosing a portion of an automobile only and entailing the use of complex guides and stiffening elements to roll and unroll a cover about a section of an automobile. The invention has failed to address the problem of protecting the car from impact and is essentially concerned with mere covering thereof against moisture and sun exposure.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,050,075 to Kaplan, et al, sets forth another retractable and extensible car top covering device utilizing a series of guideways and tracks along with opposed reeling and unreeling devices to extend a flexible sheer covering about an automobile. While a measure of protection is afforded the automobile against precipitation and solar exposure, it affords no impact protection of the car surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,082,347 to Petretti is an example of a flexible covering that is furled and unfurled about an open truck bed and whose citation is to note the use of protective devices associated with mechanical means for motor vehicle protection thereby.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,432,581 to Guma sets forth another in a series of rather complex car covering apparatus which in this instance utilizes attached bracketry to provide runners for a flexible car covering. Additionally, ancillary items such as a snow scraper is utilized in the Guma device but is essentially of limited use in affording impact protection to an automobile's exterior surface.
British patent No. 420,573 to Jones is a similar car covering, as noted in the previously cited reference to Guma and employs a motorized car covering utilized pre-positioned guideways for protection of an automobile with associated stiffening means to provide a level of protection to an automobile. The patent requires the use of a means of maintaining pre-desired geometric configuration and is of relatively limited use in affording impact protection to the automobile.
French patent No. 2,487,739 and French patent No. 2,384,651 are further examples, as addressed by the prior art of means to provide protection to an automobile's exterior surface. The patents are again utilizing flexible material to provide weather protection but of relatively thin construction to effect mere weather proofing of an automobile.
British patent No. 1,115,400 issued to Stelling attempts to provide a greater degree of protection than the other aforenoted prior art devices by the use of relatively rigid materials prepositioned about an automobile by the use of pillars to support the various panels. Arguably, the rigidity of the panels may provide a degree of protection greater than that of a flexible material but is of an awkward and non-fitting nature relative to the automobile as to provide a teaching to be relatively remote relative to the instant invention.
As such, it may be appreciated that there is a continuing need for a new and improved automobile car covering device that addresses the problems of storage, portability, impact resistance, and weather proofing, and in this respect, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.